In a typical bottled water cooler installation, a three or five gallon bottle of water is inverted onto the top of a water cooler. The bottle is installed such that the neck of the bottle is placed into the open top of the reservoir exposed on the top of the water cooler. Because the bottle is upside down, the water flows into the reservoir. During the filling of the reservoir, air is pulled up into the bottle to relieve the vacuum and permits water to escape from the bottle into the reservoir where it is maintained until consumption, utilization, etc. When the water level in the reservoir rises above the neck of the bottle, air is no longer able to enter the bottle and the resulting vacuum in the bottle prevents additional water from escaping. Water flow thereby stops and the reservoir does not overflow. The water bottles are typically made from a plastic material such as PET or polycarbonate. These bottles are often—and usually are—used over as many as ten times. In between uses, they are returned to the bottled water company, washed, sanitized, then refilled and returned to a bottled water customer. During this process of exchange, the bottles can be damaged due to handling, dropping, hot water cleaning, harsh chemicals, etc. Sometimes the damage is a small crack in the side or bottom of the bottle.
These cracks can be so small that very little or no water leaks from them. However, once the bottle cap is removed and the bottle is placed onto a cooler, the crack, which was previously under water, might now be above the water level. Air can enter the crack and prevent a vacuum from occurring. If this happens, water will continue to flow out of the inverted bottle and overflow the reservoir eventually flooding the area around the water cooler.
In the past, this problem has been handled by installing a device on top of the water cooler that seals to the bottle cap and the water cooler reservoir. Some of these devices, or components thereof, can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,413,152, 5,273,083, 6,619,511, 6,167,921 and 5,121,778 the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The sealed system that these devices are used to create rely on a seal to the reservoir within the water cooler. Sealing to the reservoir can be a problem because of the large surface to be sealed. Specifically, the opening of the water reservoir is typically six inches in diameter. Surface finish irregularities, variability in reservoir shape due to manufacturing methods, irregularities in the seals from the molding process, damage to the seals and seal surfaces during cooler reconditioning and cleaning, and cracking or tearing because of long term stress of being stretched as well as being pinched tightly also cause problems with the prior art systems. The device disclosed herein prevents leaks in water coolers and similar devices that utilize a fluid reservoir and eliminates the aforementioned problems of sealing to the reservoir by isolating the sealing area to a probe that engages with the water bottle. Preferably, the seal forms between the probe and the cap of the water bottle. In a preferred exemplary embodiment, a first tubular body (i.e. a probe) is adapted to be received by and form an air tight seal with a container that selectively maintains a volume of fluid said first tubular body comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface said interior surface defining a hollow within the first tubular body. The first tubular body may further comprise a first end and a second end wherein the first end of the first tubular body defines a first hole extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface of the first tubular body to permit for the passage of an air flow and further defines a second hole extending from the interior surface to the exterior surface of the first tubular body to permit for the passage of a flow of fluid that is received from the container. The exemplary embodiment may further comprise a second tubular body (i.e. a flow tube) that comprises an interior surface and an exterior surface said interior surface defining a hollow within the second tubular body. The said second tubular body may further comprise a first end and a second end wherein the first end of the second tubular body is received by the first tubular body and movably disposed therein and the second end of the second tubular body may be disposed within the fluid reservoir. The hollow defined by the interior surface of the second tubular body may receive the flow of fluid after it is received by the second hole of the first tubular body and may direct the fluid flow to the fluid reservoir. At least part of the exterior surface of the second tubular body and at least part of the interior surface of the first tubular body preferably define an air channel for a flow of air to travel from within the fluid reservoir to the first hole defined by the first tubular body where the air flow may exit the device and gain access to the container. The preferred exemplary embodiment may further comprise a floatation device, such as an air bell, that is connected to the second end of the second tubular body such that it may be disposed within the fluid reservoir. The floatation device is preferably capable of floating on top of the fluid in the fluid reservoir such that when the fluid within the reservoir rises above a critical level, the floatation device will rise and cause a corresponding movement of the second tubular body within the first tubular body. In the preferred embodiment, when the second tubular body moves within the first tubular body as described, the air channel eventually becomes closed when the second tubular body has reached a predetermined position within the first tubular body (the “maximum height”). In some embodiments, when the second tubular body is at the maximum height, at least part of the first end of the second tubular body blocks and effectively closes the second hole of the first tubular body. Preferably, when this occurs, no water may travel to the reservoir via the device preventing overflow of the reservoir that might otherwise occur if a crack in the water bottle permits for air to enter the bottle. The floatation device may comprise an inner tube that maintains a volume of air and which is capable of floating on water in some embodiments.
Under normal conditions (i.e. there is no crack, etc. in the bottle which houses the fluid), fluid will flow from the bottle, through the device, and into the reservoir only until the fluid level rises to a height where the fluid blocks air within the reservoir from reaching the air channel of the device, creating a vacuum. The vacuum exists until fluid is drawn from the reservoir bringing the level of the fluid below the air channel which permits for a flow of air to leave the reservoir and for a flow of water to correspondingly enter the reservoir via the device until the fluid again rises to a level that blocks the air channel. No movement of the floatation device will occur during this process. However, if a crack or other defect exists in the water bottle that admits air, water may enter the device via the second hole of the first tubular body and the first hole of the first tubular body and travel to the reservoir via the air channel and the hollow defined by the interior of the second tubular body even after the water level has risen to a height where it blocks air in the reservoir from accessing the air channel. When this occurs, the rising water will reach a critical level and cause movement of the floatation device which triggers a corresponding movement of the second tubular body within the first tubular body closing off the air channel as well as the second hole of the first tubular body preventing additional water from entering the reservoir via the device when the second tubular body reaches the maximum height.
Some exemplary embodiments may also comprise a seal connected to the first end of the second tubular body. The seal preferably assists in closing off the air channel existing between the exterior surface of the second tubular body and the interior surface of the first tubular body as well as assists in effectively closing off the second hole of the first tubular body. As discussed, this preferably occurs when the second tubular body has reached the maximum height in the first tubular body. In some exemplary embodiments, the seal comprises lips that engage at least part of the interior surface of the first tubular body when the movement of the floatation device has caused the second tubular body to move within the first tubular body to a maximum height.
In some exemplary embodiments, the exterior surface of the first tubular body comprises a probe cup that is adapted to receive and maintain the container that selectively maintains a volume of fluid (such as a water bottle). In such exemplary embodiments, the air tight seal between the first tubular body and the container may be formed where the cup receives the container. The cup may be positioned at the second end of the first tubular body. The device may further comprise a probe cup retainer which connects to the reservoir and the probe cup assisting in holding the device in place on the cooler, etc. A funnel which connects to the probe cup may be utilized to assist in directing and properly positioning the bottle about the probe.